The present invention relates to an adjustable harness and animal birth control device. More particularly, the present invention provides an adjustable harness suitable for use with domestic quadrupeds, such as dogs, cats and the like, which can be used alone or in combination with an animal birth control device. The adjustable harness utilizes hook and loop fastening means, such as Velcro(trademark), as the primary adjusting means. The adjustable harness includes coupling means such that the inventive birth control device can be detachably secured to the harness, thereby providing a simple and beneficial means for preventing unwanted impregnation of quadrupeds without the obvious risks of surgery and permanent sterilization.
Current studies estimate that there are approximately a hundred million domestic pets in the United States which are owned and cared for by responsible pet owners. However, the unwanted domestic animal population continues to grow at an alarming rate. Of the more than twenty-seven million domestic animals born each year in the United States, countless millions are unwanted and abandoned. This tragic number of homeless animals suffer horrible cruelties associated with abandonment, including sickness, exposure, starvation and death on the streets of the nation""s cities and towns, and in the fields and forests of the countryside. In addition, these abandoned animals can carry numerous diseases which can be transmitted to domestic pets, as well as zoonosis diseases, which can be transmitted from animal to human.
There are a number of ways in which the unwanted pet population is controlled today. The most tragic solution is euthanasia, which is the single largest cause of death for dogs and cats in the United States. Five to ten million unwanted pets end up in animal shelters in the United States each year. These xe2x80x9cfive to ten millionxe2x80x9d animals are classified as surplus and exterminated because they are unwanted or abandoned. This xe2x80x9csolutionxe2x80x9d to addressing the unwanted and abandoned pet population costs more than one billion dollars annually. This number does not include the hundreds of thousands of the abandoned, severely neglected or abused animals that never make it to the pounds or shelters to be counted and killed.
Another xe2x80x9csolutionxe2x80x9d in controlling the unwanted pet population is pet sterilization, i.e. spaying and neutering. Although spaying and neutering are the most common ways of preventing unwanted births by pets, many pet owners do not choose this option for several reasons. First, spaying or neutering is irreversible and permanent. As a result, many owners who wish to breed their pet at a selected time or desire to reserve the option of breeding, do not have their pets sterilized. Second, such surgery is not performed because of the perceived high cost associated with spaying or neutering. Third, many pet owners choose not to spay or neuter their pets because of the possible risks of surgery or the perceived alteration of the animal""s psyche. Finally, some pet owners are simply irresponsible. Owners of female pets often believe that they can control their pet while it is in heat and that it won""t come into contact with a male during the gestation cycle. Owners of male domestics may not care whether their pet mates with a female since such a pet owner will not have to deal with the unwanted pregnancy. In any event, although spaying and neutering provides a humane and safe way to prevent unwanted births, it is not a solution chosen by all pet owners.
Breeding factories, such as xe2x80x9cpuppy millsxe2x80x9d, which tend to assembly-line breeding, typically prevent unwanted and mixed breeding by inhibiting the animal""s ability to co-exist and move about freely with other animals. Rather, these breeding animals are housed in very small, cramped, make-shift cages where the animal has little space to move about. Such a living condition is not only an inhumane life of confinement, it also is very unhealthy for the animal. The animal does not have the opportunity to run, jump or play, or receive any extended type of exercise, thereby resulting in a great deal of mental stress which in turn, produces less healthy offspring.
Another means in controlling the unwanted pet population is by using birth control for the female pet, such as by regular veterinarian visits for prescriptions to prevent ovulation and shots and injections which abort the regency. However, such birth control means can be costly over time. Many pet owners choose a more physical type of birth control device which prevents the female animal from engaging in intercourse while in heat, such as the use of sanitary garments and anti-breeding devices which prevents access to an animal""s generative organs.
Anti-breeding devices in the form of harness having a type of protective member have been used in the prior art as another method of controlling unwanted pets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,635 to McDowell, issued Mar. 14, 1961, provides an anti-breeding device having a body harness, a shield and protector, the shield and protector being attached to the harness and conforming to the rear end of a dog""s body. U.S. Pat. No. 3,107,653 to Goddard Jr., issued Oct. 22, 1963, discloses a device for the prevention of conception in a female animal comprising a collar or belt which has a rearwardly protruding object attached thereto to prevent mating with a male animal. U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,657 to Callaway, issued Apr. 6, 1965, discloses an animal harness having a protective shield depending therefrom which covers the generative organs of an animal.
These anti-breeding devices, along with garments and similar devices which are designed to cover and xe2x80x9cprotectxe2x80x9d the generative organs of an animal, have significant drawbacks. First, most these devices encompass the entire anal and vaginal area of the animal. Such an arrangement enables the animal""s stool to contact the vaginal area. This problem is compounded when the animal urinates within the confined area of the device, which can create unsanitary conditions for the animal, serious rashes and irritation of the vaginal area, as well as posing other health risks to the animal, particular infections to the vaginal area. A second disadvantage to these devices is that bowel problems, such as impaction, can occur because an animal may not defecate when stool is pressed against the anal opening and trapped within the device. Inadequate ventilation in such garments and devices creates a suitable environment for the incubation of internal parasites.
The removal of such devices from the animal must occur in a timely manner once an xe2x80x9cunsanitary conditionxe2x80x9d has occurred in order to reduce the risk to the animal""s health. However, such removal and cleaning of such devices also poses health risks to the individual due to the harmful bacterial parasites that may reside within the animals fecal matter. There are a number of zoonosis diseases (diseases that can be transmitted from animal to human) which can be transmitted by domestic pets, including for example, anthrax, Blastomycosis, Bergeyella (weeksella) zoohelcum, Brucella canis, rabies, campylobacteriosis, Capnocytophaga canimorsus, Capnocytophaga cynodegmi, CDC groups NO-1, CDC groups EF-4a and EF-4b, cheyletiellosis, coenurosis, Cryptosporidiosis, cutaneous larva migrans, demodex folliculorum, dermatophytosis, Dipylidium caninum, echinococcosis, Francisella tularensis, Gasyrospirillum hominis, granulocytic ehrlichiosis, leptospirosis, lyme disease, Neisseria canis, Neisseria weaveri, Pasteurella multocida, plague, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, salmonellosis, Scabies, Staphylococcus intermedius, Strongyloides stercoralis, trichinosis, visceral larva migrans and Yersinia enterocolitica. 
The prior art is replete with halters and harnesses for use on domestic animals for restraining and/or controlling purposes. Such harnesses are provided in a variety of designs ranging from simple neck collars to more elaborate configurations having a plurality of loops, buckles and fitted vest-like straps. While the more elaborate designs have overcome some of the disadvantages of the simpler designs, they also present new drawbacks. One of the more significant drawbacks is that the more elaborate designs are harder to adjust, particularly for persons with arthritis, the blind or members of our society with prosthetics. As a result, the numerous halters and harnesses which having loops, snaps and/or buckles or which use sliding techniques for adjustment, do not allow the physically challenged a suitable means of adjusting their pets"" harness to fit properly. The harness designs that have been provided with simplified adjustment means, typically lack the versatility of fitting and adjusting on animals of different shapes and sizes.
Despite the teachings of the prior art, a need still exists for a device to prevent unwanted pregnancy among domestic animals without eliminating the ability of the animal to breed at a desired time. Such a device should allow the animal to run,jump, play and exercise and co-exist with other animals of both sexes. Such a device should also provide easy cleaning and maintenance without the fear of contamination.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device that will prevent unwanted impregnation of female quadrupeds.
It also is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device which will reduce the unwanted pet population.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device that will prevent mating of a female quadruped when the animal is in heat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide pet owners with a tangible form of voluntary prevention of impregnation without permanent sterilization by means of an adjustable harness and animal birth control device.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device which will enable male and female animals to co-exist when the female is in heat without the risk of impregnation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device which will protect an animal from pregnancy while permitting freedom of movement for the animal, such as walking, running, jumping and sitting.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device which will confine the vaginal area of an animal while permitting the animal to perform normal body functions such as urination and defecation.
It is an additional another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device which will prevent penetration by stray animals along with the spread of infectious xe2x80x9czoonoticxe2x80x9d diseases while the domestic pet is in heat.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device for female quadrupeds that will not allow the animal stool to contact the vaginal area while in use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device which provides adequate ventilation to the vaginal area of the female animal while in use, thereby deterring the growth and incubation of internal parasites and preventing lingering unpleasant odors.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device which is adapted with a compartment enabling the easy insertion and removal of a disposable sanitary napkin while the animal is in heat.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device that will prevent female domestic pets in heat from xe2x80x9cspottingxe2x80x9d while they are indoors, riding in vehicles and in public places.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device for domestic animals that can be simply and easily fastened and unfastened to and from the animal""s body.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device that can be easily fitted and adjusted to the specific size of the animal while in use.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device that is easy and convenient to use by individuals with limited physical ability, such as those afflicted by physical conditions such as arthritis, those who use prosthetics and those who are blind so that they can properly fit and adjust the harness and birth control device onto their pet without assistance from others.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device which can be unfastened from the animal easily without having to contact animal excrement and which can be cleaned easily and maintained in a sanitary condition.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device to pet owners and mass breeding facilities which will allow pet guardians with a humane and responsible means of breeding animals.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable harness and animal birth control device for domestic animals which is characterized by it""s simplicity, is economic in construction, operation, and manufacturing.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part of the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following specification or may be learned by practice of the invention.